Out with the new, in with the old
by DaughteroftheRedKing
Summary: One-shot. Gifts are always hard to accept, especially when you've never received one. (Prompt was about Yuri's clothes, but then became...this..thing..) (No Pairings)


**A/N: I have so many 'Tales of' ideas flying around in my head, it's ridiculous. Another ToV one-shot, this time on a less angsty and more on a 'Yuri and Flynn can't accept gifts' note!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia. It belongs to Namco Bandai, of which I have no connection except for being a fan of 4-5 games.**

* * *

Yuri was sat waiting, leaning back as he relaxed and watched the people going by. Repede lay at his feet, tail wagging slowly as he dozed slightly.

"Sorry if I made you wait!"

Yuri looked up, his coal black eyes meeting Estelle's gentle green ones, and shook his head.

"Nah. Anyway, it's nice to just watch the world go by sometimes," he replied, standing up and stretching. Repede looked up, nosing Estelle's hand before also standing and shaking himeself off.

Estelle eyed Yuri as they started to walk. "Yuri, there's something that always kind of confused me. Why do you always wear your shirt undone like that?"

Yuri looked at her in surprise, then shrugged. "Well, it's not like it's on purpose. They're the only clothes I have."

Estelle gazed at him hesitantly and he quickly waved off her thoughts. "I wash them regularly. I'm not that dirty little orphan anymore, after all. I've just had these clothes for ages; before I joined the Knights, even."

Estelle considered this, then looked at him in surprise. "So...they don't fit you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Estelle grabbed his arm, starting to pull him forward. "Then let's go buy you some new ones! I'll pay for them."

Yuri quickly stopped her. "Hey now, don't get so excited! I never said I was going to buy new clothes."

"But Yuri, you can't wander around in clothes if they fit you so badly!"

Yuri shook his head. "I'm fine. If I really need some new clothes, I'll buy them myself."

Estelle pouted. "Can't we at least look around some shops? And if you see anything you really like, I'll buy them for you."

Yuri sighed, nodding; she was going to pester him all day if he didn't agree. He didn't have to choose anything anyway.

* * *

"This is nice, don't you think?"

"Mmm.."

"How about this one?"

"Mmm.."

"Come on, don't you think this one would suit you?"

"Mmm.."

Estelle turned to him, hands on hips. "Yuri! You're not paying any attention!"

"Mmm..." Yuri replied, gazing slowly around the shop. He wasn't really interested in anything, but Estelle didn't seem to realise that.

Estelle sighed as he continued to pay no attention to her, then suddenly smiled as she got an idea. Reaching into the clothes rack, she searched for a suitable shirt then pulled it out.

"Hey Yuri? Do you think this one would be good?" she asked.

"Mm-holy..." Yuri's eyes flickered to the shirt then he stared before shivering. It was a bright pink with frills along the side, though had been modeled for a male. "U-Um...maybe something else, please, Estelle," he replied finally.

Repede gave a barking laugh then trotted off to do his own thing, leaving Yuri with Estelle.

* * *

Estelle sighed as she walked through the streets of Zaphias. She and Yuri had to eventually call it a day, as Yuri was unable to find anything he liked and she had to get back to the castle. It still bothered her that Yuri had no other clothes, and from what she had seen, he had very few other possessions either.

"What are you sighing about, young lady?"

Estelle looked up in surprise, then smiled as she spotted Hanks.

"Mr Hanks. It's lovely to see you," she said.

"And you as well. So, what's bothering you?"

A frown came to Estelle's face. "It's just...Yuri really doesn't have very much, does he? And he refused to let me buy him any new clothes, even though his old ones don't fit him at all."

Hanks gave a chuckle. "Well, Yuri's pretty bad at accepting gifts. N'fact, I think the only time we managed to give him any were when you guys were running from Zaphias. Other than that, Flynn's the only one who can get him to accept anythin', so when we want to give Yuri somethin', we have to go to Flynn."

"Why Flynn specifically?" asked Estelle, confused.

Hanks shrugged. "Those two've got a special bond. Flynn's as stubborn as Yuri, so he don't usually accept gifts either. He'll take 'em if we pester him enough though."

"So if I buy Yuri some clothes, should I give them to Flynn to pass to Yuri..?" Estelle murmured distractedly.

Hanks considered her, then sighed. "How's about I tell you somethin', okay?"

Estelle looked back at him, curiousity piqued.

Hanks walked over to a bench and sat down, Estelle seating herself beside him. Hanks considered where to start, then shrugged.

"Yuri's always been pretty independant. He don't like others thinking about him. You get a guy like him once in a while, one who'll do anything for others. Flynn's like him too; pro'ly why they get along so well. Anyways, Yuri did get money. From doing odd jobs up around the higher Quaters. To be honest, it was probably enough to get him a better house, new clothes, the lot."

"Then what happened to it?" asked Estelle, confused.

Hanks shook his head. "He gave mos' of it to us."

Estelle blinked, and Hanks sighed again.

"That idiot only kept enough for living on bare minimum. Food, water, rent, y'know. Sometimes he spent some of it on a treat for Repede. Ne'er himself. Irritated us, sometimes, but he was giving the rest to people in debt who desperately needed help, and no one had the heart to refuse him. Any he had left over, he gave to kids on the streets. Told them to get hot meals and new clothes, find a job, that sorta thing. He might even help 'em a little more, 'till they could support themselves."

Estelle frowned. "I never knew anything about that..."

"Yeah...young Ted, he's just one o' the kids he's helped. Got his family out of a bad situation with debt collectors. He got them the money they needed to fully pay it back, then beat up the guys when they tried to take the place anyway. Since then he's been Ted's role-model."

Hanks turned to her. "What I'm tryin'a say is that the guy is a natural self-sacrificer. He don't care about himself. Flynn, too - the guy took enough shots meant for others when they were kids, bullied his way through anyone he felt was wrong even though he often ended up pretty hurt...He was teased by the Knights for being the son of a fallen soldier sometimes, but he just kept pushing forward, and now he's reached his goal. But he reached it to help ever'one else."

Estelle frowned. "I just don't understand, though...I've seen people lose everything like them and be so bitter at the world, they wanted nothing to do with it. Why are they so different?"

Hanks shrugged. "Who knows? We've been trying to figure that out for years now. But..if anyone can get 'em to open up a little, it'll be you, missy."

"Me? Why me?" asked Estelle, surprised.

Hanks gave a slightly toothless grin. "'Cause you have a special place in their hearts. They trust you a lot more than they trust someone like me. You been with them through thick'n'thin, and they know they can rely on ya."

Estelle considered this information, then made a decision. "Alright! I'm going to make Yuri accept something from me, even if I have to knock him out and force it on him!" she declared, before hurrying away.

"O-Oi...I don' think you have to go _that _far..." Hanks murmured.

* * *

"Yuri?"

Yuri looked up from where he was sitting on the windowsill, turning to the door as Flynn opened it, looking around.

"Hey Flynn. What brings you here?" he asked, turning.

"I was wondering if you know what Lady Estellise has been so busy with these past few days," Flynn said.

"Huh? I didn't even know she _was _busy..I just thought she wasn't bothering me anymore."

"No, she's been working on something in her room a lot recently...When I asked her about it, she mentioned something about you..."

Yuri frowned. "Well..I don't know anything about it."

"Never mind then. Oh, and happy birthday, Yuri."

"Happy birthday, Flynn."

"Yuri! Are you here?"

The two boys turned as Estelle burst into the room, panting. She paused to catch her breath, looking surprised to see Flynn there.

"Oh...Flynn? What brings you down here?" she asked.

"I was visiting Yuri, Lady Estellise," Flynn replied, bowing.

Estelle accepted the excuse and looked over at Yuri, grinning. "So, I know you don't want me to buy you any new clothes..."

Yuri gave a grimace while Flynn raised an eyebrow at him, which quite clearly stated, _'Clothes?'_

"...So, I made you some!"

Estelle easily plonked the outfit in Yuri's arms, smiling brightly.

Yuri hesitated. "Y'know, Estelle, I'm really glad you were thinking about me and all, but..I don't think I can accept this."

"Well, too bad. It's only tailored for you. And if you don't wear it, I'll have you put in the dungeon," Estelle said with a smile, before turning to Flynn. "I made one for you too. I was going to go find you after I gave Yuri his, but this saves me some trouble. Here."

Flynn hesitantly took the offered bundle, gazing at the material hesitantly. "Lady Estellise...I'm not sure I should..."

"You should give it to someone who needs it more than us," Yuri said, trying to pass it back. Estelle giggled and stepped back out of his reach.

"Lady Estellise...please, I-"

"Just accept the clothes! The little lady worked hard on 'em!" a voice shouted outside. The two boys blinked then looked out of the window, staring at the crowd gathered below. They grinned at them, waving.

"Yeah, you have them! You've helped us enough, and we've got Miss Estelle helping us now too!" called someone else.

Repede barked from within the room, wagging his tail, and Yuri glared at him.

"Traitor..." he muttered.

Estelle stepped back to the door, opening it. "So, I'm going to lock you two in here until you change. If you try to escape, we'll just drag you back inside!" she said, motioning to Repede. He got up and padded out, then Estelle closed the door. The two boys heard the lock click and glanced at each other.

"So...what should we do now?" asked Yuri.

"Well...change, I guess," Flynn replied, picking up the clothes.

Yuri sighed then nodded, straightening them out before starting to undress.

* * *

Estelle was sitting outside the room, stroking Repede, when a knock came on the door.

"Lady Estellise...we've changed," Flynn said.

Estelle stood up, opening the door slowly in case they were trying to trick her. Then she blinked before smiling, opening it fully.

"They look great on you! How are the sizes? Do they fit okay?"

"Yeah.."

"Great! Let's go down and show everyone else, okay?"

The two boys allowed her to drag them downstairs, where everyone else was waiting. They looked up as Estelle came down, then grinned as they spotted the two boys.

They wore introverted uniforms; Yuri's was mostly black, with yellow linings and red fills in certain areas. There was also a bit of grey decoration, though it was mostly insignificant. His hair was also tied back, giving him a different look from normal.

Flynn's, on the other hand, was mainly white, with dark blue linings and light blue fills. The decoration was still grey, however.

"They really do look good on ya! I'm glad we forced you to wear 'em!" Hanks said with a laugh.

"Do you like them?" asked Estelle hesitantly. She was a little worried she had been too enthusiastic and they actually hated them...

"No, they're really nice, Estelle," Yuri assured her.

"We just feel that it would be...better if we returned them," Flynn explained.

Estelle shook her head. "If you like them, you can keep them. I made them for your birthday, anyway!"

They boys blinked, then Hanks let out a guffawing laugh. "You didn't think we didn't know, did you? Those are a gift from everyone here, so you better accept them!"

There were several nods and yells of asset, everyone gazing at the boys expectantly.

They glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing.

_'It's okay...'_

_'...to accept something for once..'_

_'...Right?'_

"Well then...thank you, Lady Estellise," Flynn said, smiling at her.

"Yeah...thanks, Estelle. You did a good job."

Estelle blinked then smiled happily.

_'They..they really did accept something! I'm so happy they accepted it!'_

"I'll make you more in the future," she said, before smiling and hugging them, forcing the rising tears back down.

* * *

**A/N: That last bit wasn't really planned...It just kinda happened by itself...I was literally gonna stop at the 'Yuri/Flynn backstory' bit...**

**If you can't imagine their new outfits, it's basically that awesome outfit of Yuri's with his hair up, and Flynn's is that introverted!**

**Review?**


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